Chillax? Or Panic?

The clear-eyed answer: Neither.

“Can you make me feel less scared?” A real question I got this week in text. And I also heard from people who were not willing to be quite so vulnerable and explicit, but basically wanted to ask the same question.

There is definitely work to do, but…

Last week’s episode of The Op-Ed Page with Elisa Camahort Page focused heavily on the chillax vs. panic binary, mostly focused on the current President’s efforts to avoid acknowledging that he is going to no longer be President when January rolls around. Two weeks post-Election Day and ten days post-the election being called for President-elect Biden, there are really two tracks to worry about:

1. The fighting-the-election track

This track really is close to chillax mode, as hard as it might feel to believe. The P45* (my nickname of choice for the current President) legal team is making no headway, plus the one “I told you so” I feel like issuing about 2020 is the way that mostly state officials in charge of elections are standing up for their work and the work of their teams, regardless of their party. The sweep of Biden’s lead is big. Not just the popular vote, but the flipping of five states red to blue (plus one of Nebraska’s districts). So big that multiple states would have to go along with P45*’s would-be shenanigans, and they owe their own constituencies more than they owe P45*. Of course, the lack of success makes people even more nervous about…

2. The will-he-burn-it-all-down-in-his-last-60-days? track

The text above was about being afraid the US would instigate a war in these next 60 days, but it could have been about a variety of destructive moves P45* will try to take before he loses the chance…like auctioning off oil rights to Alaskan wildlife preserve lands before President Biden comes in and shuts the whole idea down. P45* is showing more interest in actually doing things (leaving aside my opinion of those things) than he did all these past four years in office. That’s not a good thing. (OK, I guess I couldn’t leave aside my opinion of those things.) We’ve learned a lot how civil servants and even political appointees have found ways to hold P45* off from indulging some of his most destructive impulses during his term…including strategic leaks that create uproars that seem to convince P45* to change his mind. While he’s certainly on a rampage of last-minute firings and installation of his most sycophant-y sycophants in key roles, the gears of government aren’t designed to move incredibly quickly. Often, frustratingly so. So, I think we’re going to have to count on better angels standing in between P45* and his worst impulses for 60 days. And count on the power of the executive order to reverse those worst impulses that can’t be constrained (and fix some of the worst actions from the entire term).

So I still say: Keep your eyes on the prize and focus on what you can control and contribute to (namely GOtV efforts in Georgia). If we need to go all Belarussian on this guy, I’ll let you know!

Everywhere you listen to podcasts!

A great read

I’m already feeling P45*’s impact diminish…he’s occupying less of my brainspace than he did before, and every minute the media devotes to Biden’s decision making as he builds his team is a minute they don’t spend on P45*. Which probably drives him crazy. At least according to Ruth Ben-Ghiat, authoritarianism expert. This week journalist and author Anand Giridharadas interviewed Ben-Ghiat for his excellent newsletter, The.Ink, about her book Strongmen: Mussolini to Present, and where P45* sits on the spectrum of authoritarian leaders of the past nearly 100 years. Putting P45* in this cultural and political context is very instructive, and it may actually give you a little hope about how the U.S. is cutting our strongman off, while making you nervous about the cult this strongman leaves in his wake. This is my number-one share for the week.

Coming this week-ish

A sneak peek of Episode 38 of The Op-Ed Page podcast I’ll be releasing later his week: I interviewed former HLN anchor and current non-profit media mogul Jane Velez-Mitchell of Jane Unchained, and if you’re interested in the whole #vegan side of my life, this will be the episode for you.

Also, my political partner-in-crime Ashwini Anburajan and I are still doing our Facebook Live twice-weekly chats about the election that will not end, 2020. Join us Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5PM PT on my Facebook page, while we try to figure out how this ends. I mean, the election. And our livestreams.

Livestreaming on FB Tuesdays and Thursdays

As always I appreciate a share of this newsletter, of my podcast, of my column, The Activist Leader. And I appreciate feedback and hearing from you too.

And if you think I can help you break through the things that are keeping you stuck, you can always set up your first introductory 30-minute consult for free by booking it in my Calendly.

Have a great week-ish!